Disillusioned
by SuperFreak-Freak
Summary: **Updated 1/16**Naomi has grown, and her ideals have faded, now on the edge of cardassian teritory she must make decisions with irreversiable consequences
1. Chapter 1

Working Title: Disillusioned

Authors: SuperFreak – belanna67@hotmail.com  & Freak – trekiefreak@hotmail.com

Rating: R for future chapters

Summary: The story of Naomi Wildman's future

Chapter 1

It All Begins…

With a small shudder, the small spacecraft called the _Descent_ settled onto the landing pad on the desert planet Primus III and power was cut to the thrusters.   The hatch opened, allowing for a long flight of stairs to lower to the dusty ground and three figures descended the stairs.  The first was an elderly man, who headed in the direction of the small village a few klicks from the landing pad without looking back.   A burly Klingon came second, hurrying down the ladder and disappearing into the sandy landscape.

The third figure stood at the top of the stairs for several seconds, not moving.  A long dark red cloak was wrapped around the figure, making it difficult to determine a gender.  The shape moved its arms suddenly, and pulled away the hood that covered its face.  A young woman was revealed with long blond hair, three small horns that ran down her forehead and a pair of brilliant green eyes that sparkled in the sunlight.  After a few seconds, she descended down the stairs and walked a few feet away from the landing pad.  No sooner than she reached the edge of the pad, the thrusters on the _Descent_ were fired up and the ship took off, leaving a large dust cloud as its replacement.

Naomi Wildman sighed as she watched the ship make its way into the atmosphere until she couldn't see it any longer.  Lowering her eyes, the village drew her attention and she decided to walk.  She didn't actually have a destination, but at the moment, she didn't really need one.  As long as it had food and water, she wasn't going to complain.

Most villages Naomi had been in during her life had been full of bustling people, loud noises and vibrant colors.  This one stood out among them all.  It was quiet, except for the wind that whipped through the buildings, and there was no one in site.  The entire village was a dry sand color, with the exception of a few splashes of color from where someone was drying their laundry.  Naomi's eyebrows came together as she contemplated her next move.  Surely Primus III had someplace cool to stay, or to eat.  

A dull noise caught her attention and she turned towards it.  It sounded like music, and it was coming from a small opening down a small flight of stairs.  Moving forward, Naomi stopped in front of the door, and pushed on it gently.  Creaking, the door swung open, exposing a small, dimly lit, yet cool bar with only three patrons and a bartender.  The music she had heard was coming from a small computer sitting behind the bar.

Silence met her ears as she entered, and it took her a minute to realize all the members of the tavern were staring at her.  The elderly female behind the counter put down a mug she was drying and quirked an eyebrow. "Can I help you?" She asked in a thick accent that Naomi knew was only heard in the Primus sector of space.

"I need some water." Naomi found herself answering, and moved towards a barstool off in the corner to take a seat.  The bartender eyed her for a minute, then turned to the replicator on the wall behind her and ordered a glass of water.  She set it before Naomi and watched while the young woman drank it all in one long swig.

"Never been to Primus?" She asked finally when Naomi lowered the cup.  A smile appeared on her face when Naomi shook her head no. "The heat'll do that you here.  You won't realize you're thirsty until you actually get something to drink, probably why most people who come here don't survive long."

A young male patron sitting a few feet away chuckled at the bartenders comment. "That's why the Fleet left this place alone during the war, despite its great military advantage of being the closest planet to the Cardassian system." He downed the rest of his ale and tossed the mug aside. "Couldn't stand the heat."

"Eto, hush." The woman snapped, moving away from Naomi. "You know the rules in here." Eto chuckled again and lowered his head, motioning to the bartender to get him another drink.  She reluctantly obeyed.

"I wasn't aware we're that close to Cardassian space." Naomi spoke up, her blue eyes watching the bartender. 

"Only two light years." Eto answered and the woman's eyes flashed. 

"Eto-"

"Calm down, Kli." Another man from the corner called, leaning back in his chair and resting his feet on top of the table, swishing his drink around in his cup. "The war is over.  We don't have to worry about that anymore."

Kli's glared at the elderly man before she turned and disappeared behind a large piece of blue cloth that separated the bar from the backroom.  Once she was gone, Naomi slid her eyes over to look at the man who had just spoken. "What don't you have to worry about anymore?"

"You're a nosy one for a newcomer." He snapped back and Naomi shrugged. 

"I like to know about the planets I visit." 

The man watched her for a few seconds before throwing back his head and laughing. "You've got spirit, I'll give you that." He took a sip of his drink, watching her over the top of the glass. "I'm Noe, and the drunk over there is Eto.  The barkeep is my wife, Kli.  Who might you be?"

"Naomi." She responded, glancing in the direction of the third figure, who was hunched over, wearing a cloak similar to Naomi's.  She couldn't make out his face due the darkness of the bar and the hood that was pulled all the way over his face.  From the way that he didn't participate in the conversation, Naomi deducted that he probably wasn't a regular.  She returned her attention to Noe. "You were saying?"

Noe's mouth twisted into a smile. "Primus III is about two light years from the Cardassian border.  It's also rich in gallicite…which just happens to be what all those Fleeters are just nuts over.  But they were a little scared to get near the place because of the closeness to the border and because they couldn't come up with a cure for the heat problem." The smile faded somewhat as Noe continued. "The Cardassians, however, decided this would be a perfect place to set up camp.  Did you see the ruins of a base as you landed?" Naomi shook her head-she hadn't noticed anything except sand when the shuttle had landed. "Well, they're there, trust me.  Needless to say, we've had our fair share of problems with the Cardassians…"

"Filthy spoonheads." Eto muttered under his breath so quietly that Naomi just barely heard him.  She looked in his direction, but he was staring into his glass as if it were the most interesting thing in the galaxy.

"But we haven't had to deal with them since the Fleet ended the war." Noe finished up loudly, casting a glare in Eto's direction. 

Naomi glanced down at her empty cup.  It was true that the Dominion war had ended at least 10 years ago, but there were still some problems occurring all over the galaxy.  Small skirmishes between Starfleet and the Cardassians had begun to get worse, almost borderline of all-out combat.  While most people tried to ignore it, Naomi knew it couldn't last.  The tension between the two cultures was growing, and she knew they couldn't hide from it forever.  Eventually another war was going to occur, and there wasn't anything Naomi could do about it.  Not that it mattered to her, anyway.  It wasn't her battle, it wasn't her problem.  At that moment, all she wanted to do was get as far away from Starfleet as she humanly could, no matter the consequences.  

It was sad, really.  The one empire that Naomi had once loved with all her heart and soul was now the one empire that she was striving so hard to get away from.  At one point in her life, not so long ago, she would have given her life for Starfleet, and she would have done anything to get to be able to command a starship…but now…none of it mattered.  She had left that world and was in no hurry to return.

"Just because they left when the war ended doesn't mean that they won't be back." Kli had returned from behind the curtain and her eyes glared in the direction of her husband. "They'll rebuild their fleet and make their way into our lands once again."

Noe snorted. "Haven't done it yet.  The Federation has ensured that."

"The Federation." Eto sneered, finally lifting his head and Noami watched, interested. "What can they do?  Anyone can make a treaty and draw lines.  But it doesn't mean anything unless they can back it up with more than a few ships and some fancy words."

"You know I have no real love for the Federation," Noe told the younger man. "but I believe they'll keep the Cardassians at bay." It was Eto's turn to chuckle and he turned his head to look at Naomi.

"What do you think, stranger?"

Toying with the handle on her glass, Naomi finally replied, "My views on the subject are rather different than most peoples."

Eto and Noe glanced at each other, deciding without words that she wasn't going to go into details.  Eto spoke first. "So how long do you plan on staying on Primus III?"

"Five years." Naomi replied instantly.

Both men blinked. "Five years?" Kli wanted to know. "What do you plan on doing here for five years?  I've been here most my life and I still can't understand why anyone would want to stay longer than a day."

"I'm going to wait." Naomi held up her empty cup. "Do you know of anywhere around here that I could stay?"

"There's an Inn about a block away-due north." Eto told her after a short pause. "It's a little on the expensive side, but-"

"Money's not a problem." To prove her point, Naomi reached into her cloak and extracted a piece of gold pressed latinum and placed it on the bar in front of Kli. "For the water and conversation." Then she turned and hurried out of the bar.  

The night had brought on cool air and Naomi took in a deep breath once outside.  Her mouth went dry again, but she ignored it and began to head north, keeping her eyes open for the Inn.  She had only moved a few steps, however, when she got the eerie feeling that there was someone behind her. 

Quickening her pace, Naomi tried not to look behind her to see if she was being followed.  Her objective was to find the Inn, and if Eto was right, then it shouldn't be far.

It was the laughter that froze Naomi in her tracks.  It bounced off the buildings and echoed in the empty streets, making it seem like she was surrounded.  She felt eyes on her and a shudder ran down her spine.  She had no idea where the person or persons could be hiding, and she wasn't too anxious to find out.

Dark shadows surrounded her and she turned in a quick circle.  It wasn't her imagination-she was surrounded.  About seven youth, probably a few years younger than herself, were closing in on her, and she suspected that they were probably part of a gang of some kind.  She felt like kicking herself-she knew better than flashing the latinum around like that.  In a place like this, of course it was going to attract attention.

"What do you want?" Naomi asked the nearest kid, her voice coming out calm and steady, but her heart was racing.  She had never actually been in a real fight before, though she had taken many classes about self-defense.  The kid didn't respond, only grinned and stepped closer to her, his hand reaching for something sharp that hung around his waist.

It wasn't exactly the answer Naomi was looking for.  The kid lunged forward suddenly, extracting the dagger and slashing it in front of Naomi's face.  She jumped back, the blade missing her by just a few inches, and dove to the ground, rolling away from him.  She bounced to her feet, her arms outstretched, ready to take them all on if she had to.  Somewhere in the back of her head, she thanked her many teachers that had taught her self defense moves over the years.  

Two of the gang members attacked at once from behind, which caught Naomi slightly off guard.  She stumbled in the sandy ground, but managed to keep her balance.  The thought of grabbing her phaser that she had hidden around her waist crossed her mind, but then she remembered that these were just kids she was fighting.  She didn't have much time to reflect, though, because she suddenly found herself in the middle of a ring of gang members, each one holding a long, jagged blade.

_Forget the teachers.  Let's go with the Torres way of doing things._  Naomi thought to herself and made a mad grab for her phaser.  

A foot connected with her hand and she gritted her teeth, but her hand didn't obey the silent order to hang onto the weapon.  It slipped from her fingers and flew out of her hand.  The group began to laugh as one as they moved in around her, ready to finish her off…or rape her, which ever they felt like doing.

Phaser fire caught the head kid in the back and he pitched forward, never having time to scream.  Naomi looked around wildly for the source of the fire, but couldn't see anyone.  Two more of the gang members went down, and by now, the rest of them were yelling and motioning to each other as they retreated down the empty streets.

Diving for her phaser, Naomi snatched it up and turned in a circle, her arm outstretched, her eyes flashing.  She caught site of a shadow against a building and she moved towards it.  The shadow began to run in the opposite direction. "Wait!" Naomi shouted after it, but it didn't slow down.  So she did the only thing she could-she ran after it.

She followed it through the empty alleys and out into the desert, where she held up her phaser and ordered the figure to turn around.  To her surprise, it did.  

Like her, the figure wore a long black cloak that covered its face and body, though from what she could see, Naomi determined that the figure was indeed male.  What's more, she was surprised to see that it was same silent figure that had been sitting in the corner of the bar.  She wanted to ask him who he was, but instead heard herself ask, "Why did you save me?"

The man shrugged and Naomi caught site of his eyes, which glittered with the reflection of the town's lights.  She gazed at him for several seconds, then lowered her phaser. "Thank you." The man nodded, turned, and started to walk away. "Hey, wait!" Naomi yelled after him, but another voice from somewhere behind her caused her to momentarily turn her head.

Eto was running towards her, confusion on his face. "Hey, what happened?" He asked once he was within speaking distance. "I come out of the bar to see you chasing shadows-"

Naomi turned back to face the figure…and found nothing but desert staring back at her.  "Did you see him?" She asked.

"See who?"

"The man…the one in the cloak…" She faltered, than sighed. "Never mind."

Eto reached out and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't I walk you to the Inn tonight?  I forgot to tell you about the gangs that sometimes come into town after a transport lands."

Naomi looked at him for several seconds, glanced back out to the desert, then nodded and followed Eto back into the town.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Two Years Later

"Morning Noe."

Noe glanced up from the table he was cleaning and a smile crossed his face. "Starting early again, Naomi?"

"Something like that." Naomi smirked as she slid onto a barstool and tapped her fingers on the countertop. "Kli, you back there?"

The elderly woman appeared from behind the curtain a second later, a glass of Bailey's already in her hand. "It's a bad idea to let you keep doing this to yourself." She stated as she set the glass down in front of the half human.

"You're not my mother." Naomi muttered, lifting the cup to her lips and downing it in one long swallow.

Kli quirked an eyebrow. "Maybe not, but I sure feel like it sometimes."

"Trust me." Naomi's eyes glittered. "You're nothing like my mother." She motioned to the empty cup. "Another."

Sighing, Kli retreated to the back and Naomi watched her go.  In a lot of ways, Kli was like a mother to Naomi, thought the half human would never admit it.  During the past two years, Naomi had gotten to know a lot about the elderly woman and her husband, as well as other individuals living on Primus III.

Kli and Noe had known each other their entire lives, and had gotten married at a young age.  It was Kli who had inherited the bar from her father, being as she had been an only child, and the two had kept it up for the past 37 years.  The couple had never had any children, which was, Naomi determined, why they kept their eyes on her.  

As for the other individuals on Primus III, only two others played a large part on her life.  The first was Eto, which Naomi had been seeing on and off for the past two years.  Their relationship was a strange one, and one she could never fully explain.  She didn't know if her feelings went beyond friendship, but she spent time with him regardless.  

The second was Huii, the owner of the Inn that Naomi was staying at.  She had rented out one of the suites when she first arrived, and now, two years later, she was still there.  Huii didn't seem to mind, as long as she helped out with chores around the Inn and paid a monthly rent, which was fine with Naomi.  She was just glad to have somewhere to stay.

Naomi spent a lot of time at the bar, and quickly became a regular there.  She became addicted to Bailey's as well as a few others.  While Kli was insistent upon Naomi drinking only the sythenol, Naomi would have none of it.  She wanted the real stuff, not the fake.  

She never participated in the conversations about the Federation or the Cardassians.  When topics like that arose, she would sit on her barstool and stare into space.  When other patrons asked her for her opinion, she often answered with 'I don't really have an opinion on that'.  She never spoke about herself, so she had become somewhat of a mystery around the area.  No one knew where she came from, or why she was there, or who or what she was waiting for.  If someone asked, Naomi would just change the subject without giving any kinds of clues.

"You know," Naomi jumped at the sound of Noe's voice.  He had slipped onto the empty stool beside her and was watching her carefully. "I think that was the first time I've heard you talk about your mother since you came here."

"It's kind of a sore subject."

"You know…" Noe started and Naomi glanced at him, her eyebrow raised. "I've heard it said that sometimes you can get your problems sorted out if you talk about them with someone."

Naomi tilted her head and eyed her friend for a few seconds. "You've been trying for years to get me to talk about my past and you've never succeeded.  What makes you think it'll work now?"

Noe shrugged. "I don't, but it doesn't hurt to try."

Snorting, Naomi accepted the glass of Bailey's Kli had brought out to her. "Sorry, Noe, not this time."

"OK then." Noe got to his feet again. "Well, I guess I'll have to wait until I get you very drunk.  Then maybe I'll get some answers out of you."

"Doubtful.  You tried that last month."

"I did?"

Chuckling, the half Ktarian lifted the cup to her lips and took a long drink.  When she was younger, Naomi had been fascinated with her father's culture and spent every waking hour for two weeks studying whatever she could get her hands on.  Back then, it had been a hobby, but now that she was older, she realized there were some definite advantages to being half Ktarian. 

For instance, Naomi could drink quite a lot before she actually became intoxicated.  To top it off, she had a mind like a steel trap, hindered only slightly because of her human physiology.  

Naomi was about to respond to Noe, but the door to the tavern opened and the three looked up.  In the doorway stood a tall figure, most likely male, dressed in a sand colored cloak.  The hood was pulled down over the face and only a chin was visible.  After a second of silence, Kli spoke, "Can we help you?"

While the figure didn't respond, he did lift his arms and draw back his hood.  

A stifled gasp escaped Naomi's lips when she saw the face. _No way…!_ She thought wildly. _Its-!_

"Cardassian!" A clatter of a barstool caused Naomi to turn.  Noe had flung himself over the bar, scattering dishes and cleaning materials about in a wild dash to find the phasers he hid behind the bar.  Kli was backed against the far wall, her face deathly pale.

Naomi felt numb as she stared into the face of the Cardassian.  There was something about him…it took Naomi only a few seconds to realize that he didn't look right.  What caught her attention first off was the fact that this Cardassian wasn't repulsive looking…in fact…he was unusually handsome.  His skin lacked the gray tinge that most Cardassian's had, and his eyes were dark brown, but when he turned his head towards the light, they flashed a dark red.  His neck and forehead features were dulled and he had more hair than Naomi ever remembered seeing on a Cardassian.

Kli's shriek caused Naomi to jerk out of her trance.  Noe had grabbed a phaser and was pointing it straight at the Cardassian.  In return, he had extracted a strange looking device that Naomi didn't recognize but was certain was a weapon.

"Noe, stop!" Naomi jumped at the sound of her own voice and heads turned to look at her.

"Naomi, he's Cardassian!" Noe protested, his whole arm trembling.  By the way he was holding the phaser, Naomi was scared it would actually go off and kill someone.

"I don't care!" Naomi retorted. "Put the phaser down!" Her eyes flashed to look at the unknown Cardassian. "You too."

Maybe it was the force that she had in her tone, or the fact that they were willing to listen.  Either way, both men slowly lowered their weapons, but their glares never subsided as they watched each other carefully.  Taking charge, Naomi slowly approached the Caradassian. "Who are you?" She asked, surprised at the firmness in her voice. "What do you want here?  The Federation-"

"You're human?" His voice was low, yet in a strange way, comforting.  An accent Naomi had never heard before accompanied his voice.

Frankly, Naomi wasn't sure how he had managed to tell whether or not she was part human.  Most people mistook her for being full Ktarian because of the horns on her forehead, so she was a little confused. "Part, yes."

"Naomi-!" Kli hissed, voice trembling, moving slowly towards her husband.  The Cardassian lifted his weapon again and aimed it at Naomi's head.  Her eyes went wide and her breath came short.  "Naomi!  Oh god…" Kli moaned.

"Put the weapon down!" Noe ordered, moving closer with slow hesitant steps.

The Cardassian ignored him. "Tell me about _Voyager_."


End file.
